Luggage carrier



Oct. 6, 1970 E. v. HAWKES LUGGAGE CARRIER FiledOct. 22, 1968 14- I'BYWM% l A TORNEYS United States Patent 3,532,355 LUGGAGE CARRIER EvelynV. Hawkes, 4422 Macomb St. NW., Washington, D.C. 20016 Filed Oct. 22,1968, Ser. No. 769,505 Int. Cl. B62b 11/00 US. Cl. 280-4713 2 ClaimsABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device comprised of a resilient loop ofsubstantial width and breadth having a set of swivel wheels mounted toits exterior surface, said loop adapted to circumscribe luggage andother parcels whereby the transportation of such articles is facilitatedeven though there may be sevveral pieces in a group of different sizes,shapes and weights.

The present invention release generally to a device suitable for thetransportation of heavy luggage and, more specifically, to a luggagecarrier having an improved construction to facilitate circumscribing thedevice about the luggage.

It is frequently desirable, for instance at travel terminals, to providea means whereby several pieces of luggage of various sizes or a singlepiece of luggage of substantial weight can be transported with a minimumof delay and effort. It is normally advantageous in such situations,when there are several pieces of luggage, to transport them as a group.It is, therefore, a primary object of this invention to provide animproved luggage carrier characterized by an ease of attachment andremoval together with a facility to carry several items at one time.

Another object of the invention is to provide a luggage carrier which isefiicient for transporting a single piece of luggage by locating itsground-engaging wheels beneath the designed bottom of the luggage butwhich can be easily and rapidly shifted or rotated about the luggage toprovide dolly means for transporting several additional pieces ofstacked luggage.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the typedescribed having a pair of swivel wheels attached to a relatively rigidplate to enable the one Wheel to act for the other when the latterengages a protuberance or crack in its path movement.

A still further object is to provide a luggage carrier in accordancewith the preceding objects which shall b of a simple, inexpensiveconstruction and is easily folded thereby requiring a minimum of storagespace.

Another object is to provide an improved device by which bulky or heavyobjects other than luggage may be transported, the attachment andremoval of which shall be more flexible and with greater ease than hasheretofore been taught by the prior art.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide an improvedcarrier comprised of a plurality of bands or loops each consisting of alength of elastic material connected to a shorter length of nonelasticfabric material to which is afiixcd a solid plate that provides amounting for several antifriction, ground-engaging casters.

These and other objects of the invention will become more apparent tothose skilled in the art by reference to the following detaileddescription when viewed in light of the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a carrier illustrating the constructionof the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevation view of the plate assembly illustrating itsconstruction in detail;

3,532,355 Patented Oct. 6, 1970 FIG. 3 is a perspective view of acarrier illustrating its use to transport a single object; and

FIG. 4 is an elevation view of the carrier illustrating its use totransport several objects of different shapes.

It is recognized that luggage aids are known to the prior art. Normally,these aids are comprised of a plurality of straps equipped with swivelwheels intermediate their ends and having conventioned bucklearrangements. In use, the wheels are positioned beneath the luggage, thestraps are looped about the luggage and the buckles secured. Thisinvention obviates many of the disadvantages of these prior artarrangements and contributes many unexpected advantages.

The invention can be best understood by referring to the drawingswherein like elements are referred to by like numerals. The use andpracticality of the invention can best be seen in FIGS. 3 and 4. A pairof bands 9 and 9" are customarily employed although a single band isworkable. The bands are adapted to circumscribe a piece of luggage L.Only the band 9 will be described in detail, it being understood thatband 9 is of similar construction.

As seen in FIG. 1, the band 9 is comprised of a resilient or elasticstrap portion 10 of substantial width and length which, at its ends, issewn at 13 and 13 or otherwise atiixed to the ends of a nonelasticfabric section 12. The strap portion 10 can be of a heavy duty, elasticmaterial which can stretch to approximately twice its length withoutharm.

The wheel assembly 14 consists of a substantially rigid plate 19 towhich are fastened two or more antifriction members such as swivel orcaster assemblies 20. The castor assemblies 20 are of a commerciallyavailable type and consist of a bracket 16 and a trunnion 17 rotatablydependent therefrom. The trunnions 17 each rotatably support a wheelmember 18 about an axis offset from the axis of rotation of thetrunnion. The wheel assembly is secured to the strap by placing theplate 19 interiorly of strap portion 12 midway of its length. Twobrackets 16 are disposed exteriorly of the portion 12 and riveted toplate 19 near its ends. Thus, the wheel assembly is secured to the strapand the castors of each strap have a fixed relationship with each other.Through the fixing of the position of the wheels of each strap with oneanother, the luggage can negotiate a more uneven surface because one ofthe wheels will act as a pivot to the other when the first engages acrack or other small obstruction.

FIG. 3 illustrates bands utilized to transport a single heavy or bulkypiece of luggage. Also shown in FIG. 3 is an optional removable handstrap 26 of leather or fabric material which will facilitate moving theluggage The use of elastic loops not only decreases mounting time buttheir use allows the plate and wheel assembly to be quickly shifted orrotated about the luggage without adjustment of buckles or other awkwardretention devices. Thus, the wheels can readily be located adjacent theside of the luggage. This position, as shown in 'FIG. 4, permits thebase piece of luggage to be converted into a dolly for thetransportation of several articles at the same time.

In a general manner, while there has been disclosed effective andefficient embodiments of the invention, it should be well understoodthat the invention is not limited to such embodiments, as there might bechanges made in the arrangement, disposition, and form of the partswithout departing from the principle of the present invention.

I claim: 1. A device for facilitating the movement of heavy or bulkyluggage comprising at least one endless loop having an elastic portionand a nonelastic portion for circumscribing and resiliently grippingluggage of various dimensions, said elastic portion being the greaterpart of said loop, a relatively rigid plate secured to said nonelasticportion, first and second Wheel assemblies, means to afiix said Wheelassemblies along the length of said plate in spaced coplanarrelationship to each other.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein each of said wheel assemblies iscomprised of a bracket secured to said plate, a trunnion rotatablymounted to said bracket about an axis normal to said plate, a wheelrotatably mounted in said trunnion about an axis lying in plane to whichsaid first-mentioned axis is normal.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,670,969 3/1954 Costikyan280-4713 2,964,329 12/1960 Beck 280-4713 FOREIGN PATENTS 252,466 3/1927Italy. 977,604 11/1950 France.

10 LEO FRIAGLIA, Primary Examiner R. R. SONG, Assistant Examiner

